The Best 5 Golfers of All Time | Bleacher Report The Best 5 Golfers of All Time By Sean O'Neil , Senior Analyst Aug 29, 2011 Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse the slideshow 125.4K 53 Comments Through time, there have been so many incredible golfers, from names such as Old Tom Morris, Harry Vardon and Phil Mickelson , to even the most recent of names like Rory McIlroy and Keegan Bradley. Of the hundreds who have played the game, I have narrowed the group down to a list of who I think should be the top five of all time. Everyone has a different idea of who stands atop the golfing world, and this is my list. Next » Honorable Mentions Francis Ouimet: Ouimet is not one of the greatest golfers of all time, but when he won the U.S. Open in 1913 at the age of 20, he put golf on the map as a mainstream sport. We can thank him for all of the great American players whom we have seen over the years.

Byron Nelson: Nelson is sixth all time on the PGA Tour in wins with 52, which included five in Major championships. In 1945 he won 11 straight tournaments with a total of 18 on the year. Gary Player: The South African won nine Majors in his lifetime, among 165 total tournament wins across various tours. He only had 25 PGA tour wins, but what he accomplished was incredible. Sam Snead: Slammin' Sammy won seven Majors and he holds the record for most PGA Tour wins with 82. He was never able to win a U.S. Open, but he will always be one of the all-time greats. Ben Hogan: Hogan is fourth all time with 64 career PGA Tour wins, which included nine Major victories. The legendary ball striker would be No. 6 on this list, but alas, this list only goes to five. Next » 5. Walter Hagen Walter Hagen holds the third most amount of Major championships with 11, while he also won a total of 45 PGA Tour events. Hagen was the first ever American-born player to win the British Open, a feat that he managed to accomplish four times.

After playing for years in the PGA, Hagen realized there was more money to be made in exhibition golf, where he became the first ever sportsman to win a million dollars. Hagen had an incredible knowledge of the game, and who knows how many more championships he would have won had he not stopped competing in the PGA. Next » 3. Bobby Jones Bobby Jones had the potential to be the greatest golfer ever, and he never made a penny from winning a tournament. Jones never turned professional in his career and therefore was unable to make money from the sport. He played for fun. He won 13 Major championships in his career and is still the only golfer ever to have won the Grand Slam, all four Major championships in a single year. There could be another Major added to that list, but in 1925 at the U.S. Open, Jones called a penalty on himself when he saw his ball move, which caused him to lose the tournament by one stroke. Jones retired at the age of 28.

We may never get to know how many Major championships he could have won as he entered his prime, but we will never forget the sportsmanship he brought to the game—along with our favorite golf course, Augusta National. Next » 2. Tiger Woods A few short years ago, I would have told you Tiger Woods will forever be remembered as the greatest golfer of all time. Now I'm not so sure. Woods has won 14 Majors, which is second all time, and he has won 71 PGA Tournaments, which is third all time. He is only 35 years old and there is time yet to win, but his performance the last two years has been depressing. He lost his marriage, he lost his caddy and it would seem that he is slowly losing the support of any fans that he has left. If he can pull himself together over the next few years, maybe he will become the greatest to ever play the game, but for now his incredible accomplishments will have to settle for second place. Next » 1. Jack Nicklaus There is no question in my mind that Jack Nicklaus is the greatest golfer to ever play the game.

He has the most ever Major championship wins with 18 to go with his second most ever PGA Tour wins with 73. The Golden Bear won the Masters on six different occasions, the last coming when he was 46 years old, which makes him the oldest to ever win the tournament. Nicklaus did great things for the game of golf, and there is a reason why he led the money list on eight separate occasions and was named PGA Player of the Year five times. He was the best. Jack Nicklaus - Golf Topics - ESPN Jack Nicklaus Personal Jack Nicklaus is a retired American professional golfer and one of the sport's most prolific champions of all-time. Nicknamed "The Golden Bear," Nicklaus has won more major championships than any golfer in history (18), and is 2nd all-time in PGA TOUR victories with 73. Only Sam Snead (82) has more in the history of the PGA TOUR. Nicklaus is widely regarded as the best golfer of his era, and one of the greatest golfers of all-time. Nicklaus' 18 career major championships is the most heralded record in golf. Nicklaus won the Masters 6 times (most all-time), the U.S.

Open 4 times (tied for most all-time), the Open Championship 3 times, and the PGA Championship 5 times (tied for most all-time). Nicklaus' Nicklaus and Tiger Woods are the only 2 men in history to have won each of golf's 4 major championships 3 times each. Nicklaus has been named "Golfer of the Century" or "Golfer of the Millennium" by almost every major golf publication in the world. He was also named Individual Male Athlete of the Century by Sports Illustrated, and one of the 10 Greatest Athletes of the Century by ESPN. Nicklaus has also been honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to any civilian. Nicklaus is a five-time winner of the PGA Player of the Year Award, has been the PGA Tour's leading money-winner eight times and runner-up six times. He has played on six Ryder Cup teams, captained two other Ryder Cup teams, and served as U.S. captain for the 1998, 2003, 2005, and 2007 Presidents Cup teams. He is also one of the pre-eminent golf course designers in the world.

The son of a pharmacist, Jack William Nicklaus was born January 21, 1940 in Columbus, Ohio. He was raised in the suburb of Upper Arlington, and went to Upper Arlington High School. At age 10, Nicklaus carded a 51 in the first nine holes he played. That year, he also won the Scioto Club Juvenile Trophy. He would win it a second time the following year. At age 12, he won the Ohio State Junior Championship, launching a streak of 5 straight wins from 1952 through 1956. When Nicklaus was 13, he played in his first national tournament, the U.S.G.A. Junior Championship for ages 17 and under, winning his first 3 matches before being eliminated. That year, he also won the Columbus Junior Match-Play Championship. At 14, Nicklaus won the Columbus Junior Championship in both the stroke play and match play competitions. He would win that again the following year, as well as qualifying for the U.S. Amateur for the first time. He was defeated in the first round, 1-down.

At 16, he won the Ohio State Open - easily the victor with a 2-round final day posting of 64 and 72. That year, he won his 5th straight Ohio State Junior title, and the Ohio Jaycees, but lost the U.S. National Jaycees Championship in a playoff. Amateur Career When Nicklaus was 17, he won his first national title, capturing the U.S. National Jaycees Championship. He also qualified for his first U.S. Open, missing the cut. At 18, Nicklaus won the Trans-Mississippi Championship, and qualified for the U.S. Open again. This time, Jack made the cut and finished tied for 41st place. Nicklaus also played in his first PGA TOUR event, the Rubber City Open at Firestone in Akron, Ohio. Jack was 1 shot back of the lead after 36 holes after opening rounds of 67 and 66. He finished tied for 15th in the event. Nicklaus won his first career U.S.

Amateur at age 19, defeating Charles Coe, 1-up, in the 36-hole final at Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. He also played on the winning Walker Cup team against Britain in Muirfield, Scotland, and won the North-South and Trans-Mississippi championships. Nicklaus also reached the quarterfinal at the British Amateur that year. Nicklaus' biggest early breakthrough in his young career came at the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills, where he established an amateur record by shooting a 282. Jack finished as the runner-up to Arnold Palmer by 2 strokes. He also emerged as the individual winner in the World Amateur Team Championship by 13 strokes with 269, eclipsing Ben Hogan's record by 18 shots. In his final year as an amateur, Jack won the U.S. Amateur for the 2nd time, defeating Dudley Wysong, 8 and 6, at Pebble Beach. He was also a member of the winning Walker Cup team, the Western Amateur Champion, an NCAA and Big Ten Champion, and finished tied for 4th at the 1961 U.S. Open.

In 8 major championship appearances as an amateur, Nicklaus made the cut 5 times, including each of his last 4 starts. He was merely warming up for the epic display he put on throughout his legendary career. PGA Tour Career Jack Nicklaus joined the PGA Tour as a regular in 1962. His first professional event was the Los Angeles Open, where he finished tied for 50th and won $33.33. That year, he also won his first PGA Tour event, defeating Arnold Palmer in a Monday playoff at Oakmont for the 1962 U.S. Open. This sparked the beginning of the Palmer-Nicklaus rivalry, which would grow into one of the best rivalries in American sports history. Nicklaus won 3 times in all his rookie year (also in Seattle and Portland), and was named PGA Tour rookie of the year. Nicklaus finished 3rd on the money list as a rookie. The next year, Nicklaus won his first of 6 Masters titles, as well as his first PGA Championship. He won 5 times in all that year, posted 17 top-10's in 24 starts, and finished 2nd on the money list.

In 1964, Nicklaus finished 1st in money and scoring average on Tour, and finished runner-up or tied for 2nd in 3 of the 4 majors (U.S. Open - T-23rd). In '65, his five victories included his 2nd Masters win, where he shot a record number of 271, breaking Ben Hogan's mark by 3 strokes. That number stood until Tiger Woods shot a 270 in 1997. He led the PGA Tour in both money and scoring average for the 2nd straight year. In 1966, Nicklaus became the first ever consecutive Masters champion. That year, he also won his first British Open title, which was the only major he had yet to win at that point. At the time, that made him the youngest player (age 26) to win all four major championships (since bested by Tiger Woods, who was 24 when he completed it). Nicklaus became the 4th golfer all-time to complete the career "Grand Slam", joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan and Gary Player .

In 1967, Nicklaus won his 2nd U.S. Open, besting Palmer by 4 shots. The two were tied for 2nd, one shot off the lead entering the final round. Nicklaus did not win another major until the 1970 British Open, which he did so shortly after his father Charlie Nicklaus died. One of the most memorable images of Nicklaus is him throwing his putter into the air in elation after sinking the winning putt on the final green at St. Andrews. With his victory at the 1971 PGA Championship, Nicklaus became the first player to ever win all four major championships twice in a career. The following year, Nicklaus' 4th green jacket and 3rd U.S. Open title generated buzz as the possibility of a season grand slam arose. Nicklaus would finish runner-up to Lee Trevino at the British that year, though, and Gary Player went on to win the PGA Championship. Nicklaus' U.S. Open win was his 13th as a professional, tying Bobby Jones for most major titles all-time (though a different set of Tournaments were considered majors during Jones' era).

He went on to win the PGA Player of the Year award for a 2nd time that year, and also took over the all-time Tour earnings lead. In 1973, Nicklaus made golf history by capturing his 14th major championship, winning the PGA for the 4th time. He won 7 times that year, and finished in the top-10 16 times in 18 events. He also did not finish worse than tied for 4th in any of the majors, and posted the lowest scoring average of his professional career (69.81). He also became the first player to win $300K in consecutive years, and the first player to ever pass the $2M mark in career earnings. Nicklaus continued to add to his legacy for the remainder of the decade. In 1974, he was one of the inaugural inductees into the World Golf Hall of Fame. In 1975, he won 2 majors in 1 year for the 4th time in his career, taking the Masters and PGA Championship.

In 1976, he picked up his 5th PGA Player of the Year award, breaking Ben Hogan's record of 4. The next year, he passed the $3M mark in earnings for his career, further extending his record. He also won his 63rd career Tour event, passing Ben Hogan to take 2nd place all-time behind only Sam Snead . In 1977, he went without a major, but his performance in the British Open that year made headlines around the world. In a one-on-one battle dubbed the "Duel in the Sun," Nicklaus shot 65-66 in the final 2 rounds, only to be outdone by Tom Watson , who fired a pair of 65's. He was named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year in 1978, winning his 3rd career British Open. For his incredible run in the 1970's, he was then named "Athlete of the Decade" in a poll of 432 sports journalists. He added 2 more majors in 1980: the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, giving him an astonishing 17 for his career.

From 1981-85, Nicklaus would win just twice on the Tour, and went without a major victory. In 1986 though, Nicklaus woke up the echoes at Augusta with one of the most remarkable performances in sports history. The Golden Bear posted a 30 on the back-9 to shoot a 7-under 65 for his round. He then watched the leaders falter, and won his record 6th green jacket by 1 stroke. At age 46, he still holds the record as the oldest player to ever win a the Masters. The victory was to be his last on the PGA Tour. Champions Tour In early 1990, Nicklaus became eligible for the Senior PGA Tour (since renamed the Champions Tour). He won his first event on the Tour, The Tradition, which was also a major championship. Nicklaus would go on to win The Tradition 4 times. Nicklaus won 10 Champions Tour events overall, including 5 of the 9 events he started in '90 and '91. His final victory on the Senior Tour came at the 1996 Tradition.

Nicklaus continued to play on the Champions Tour into the 2000s while also making infrequent appearances on the PGA Tour, primarily at majors and the Memorial. He retired from competitive golf in 2005. Nicklaus is one of the world's most prominent course designers, and has developed an immense course-building business. Nicklaus has been involved in the design of close to 270 courses open for play worldwide, and his thriving business, Nicklaus Design, has more than 335 courses open for play around the world. Nicklaus Design courses are represented in 32 countries, 39 states, and at least 87 have hosted a combined total more than 600 professional tournaments or significant national amateur championships. At least 60 Nicklaus Design courses have appeared in various national and international Top-100 lists. The firm currently has projects under construction or under development in 45 different countries - 25 in which Nicklaus Design has never been involved. Jack Nicklaus was born on Jan. 21, 1940 in Columbus, Ohio. He married his wife, Barbara, before turning pro.

They have five children - Jack Jr., Steven, Nancy, Gary and Michael. Gary Nicklaus played on the PGA Tour from 1992-2004. Nicklaus also has 21 grandchildren, including Nick O'Leary, a top high school football recruit. In addition to his work with his course design company, Nicklaus and his wife Barbara are involved in multiple charitable causes, including the Nicklaus Children's Heath Care Foundation and The First Tee program. In 1999, Nicklaus underwent a hip replacement surgery, but returned to the course less than four months later. In 2010, he was hospitalized for an intestinal infection stemming from a case of diverticulitis. Nicklaus did not need surgery, but was forced to miss a charity event. JACK NICKLAUS QUICK FACTS Top 10 Best Golfers of all time Top 10 Best Golfers of all time 0 Updated: 04/1/16 Golf is a gentleman’s game. The game is one of the most popular around the world .

Historically the game originated during Roman Empire but in the modern time its first recorded mention was made in 1457 during the reign of King James II of Scotland. The game is generally a precision club and ball sport. It is one of the few ball games that does not require a standardized playing area. Instead, Golf is played on a course, consisting of an arranged progression of either 9 or 18 holes. The game has earned very much popularity in Europe and America . Today, golf has gained such popularity that has never been before. Now, it will be very unwise not to make a top 10 list involving best golfers of all time in history. Best Golfers of all time: So, let it be and check the list of ‘Top 10 best golfers of all time’. 10. BYRON NELSON BYRON NELSON ; image credit Byron Nelson, one of the best golfers of all time, was born in Texas, USA. His professional golf career spanned for 11 years, from 1935-1946. Byron became a legendary golfer with 52 championship winnings.

‘ The Byron Nelson Championship ‘ is arranged every year in Dallas to commemorate his significance. During his career, Byron grabbed 5 major championship titles and both the PGA and Masters championship two times, each one of them. He was nicknamed ‘Lord Byron’ after the famous British poet due to his gentlemanly reputation. In 1974, Byron became a member of World Golf Hall of Fame and awarded several times which included most notably the most distinguished sportsman by United States Golf Association. The reputed golfer died in 2006. Byron Nelson has been enlisted at No. 10 in our short table of top 10 best golfers of all time. 9. TOM WATSON TOM WATSON ; image credit Another best golfer in the history, Tom Watson from Kansas City, United States practically dominated the golf world in between 70s and 80s. Tom Watson is a multi-talented golfer who won as much as eight major championships, including 5 Open Golf Championships. As a matter of fact, Tom Watson was mentored by Byron Nelson since 1974. It’s not surprising that within a year of going under Byron’s wings, Watson won his first major golf championship.

Watson at the age of 60, participated in 2009 Open Championship, though lost at the end in a four-hole playoff. During his time, the friendly professional rivalry between him and Jack Nicklaus served to increase the popularity of golf. We have considered No. 9 spot for Tom Watson in our list of top 10 best golfers of all time. 8. BOBBY JONES BOBBY JONES ; image credit en.wikipedia.org Bobby Jones was considered as the most successful amateur golfer ever in the history. He won all four major golf tournaments in his era, therefore winning the career Grand Slam. During his 7 years in golf, he won 4 US Opens and another 3 Open Championships. He was the winner of 1930 British Amateur . In addition, he won the US Amateur championship as much as five times. His successful golf career came to an end when he suddenly decided to get retired from competitive golf at only 28 years of age. Bobby Jones is the founder of the world renowned Augusta National Golf Club Course.

He was also the co-founder of the Masters tournament and even came out of his retirement to compete in it until 1948, when he had to stop owing to some serious health related issues. Bobby Jones is the No. 8 golfer in our list of top 10 best golfers of all time. 7. SAM SNEAD SAM SNEAD ; image credit en.wikipedia.org Sam Snead had a pretty impressive career with the most career PGA victories (82 wins) in the history of golf. He was nicknamed ‘Slammin’ Sammy’. After serving in World War II, Sam participated in US Open and surprisingly, he never won any, though became runner-up four times in his career. Sam was a three times winner of PGA Championship as well as Masters Championship. Sam Snead made a mark in golf history by winning the Royal Poinciana Plaza Invitational [a LPGA event], against 15 other golfers’ and became the only male golfer to have won a women’s tournament ever. The great golfer, Sam Snead is at No. 7 position in our list of top 10 best golfers of all time. 6.

GARY PLAYER GARY PLAYER ; image credit en.wikipedia.org Gary Player is the most successful non-American golf player in the history. The South African legendary golfer, Gary Player managed to achieve the career grand slam at 29 that has been bestowed upon only a few, namely Gene Sarazen , Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Gary Player was famously known as “Black Knight” because of the fact that he usually wore black on the golf course. During his glorious golf career, Gary Player won nine Major tournaments, six Championship tours and three Open Championships. Gary is also a famous golf book writer. He designed more than 325 golf courses and owns a horse breeding farm, namely the Gary Player Stud Farm. The farm is internationally acclaimed for producing top-class race horses. The No. 6 spot in our list of top 10 best golfers of all time is attributed to the Great Gary Player. 5. BEN HOGAN BEN HOGAN ; image credit picture.webspier.com Ben Hogan won five of the six tournaments he participated in 1953, including three major championships. The year is a notable one in the history of PGA, which later came to be known as the ‘Hogan Slam’.

Ben Hogan was considered as the most perfect golf swinger in the history. He was a very hard working player who was known to work over his swing mechanics and technique relentlessly. Hogan is credited as the greatest striker of a golf ball in the history for the amazing swing he mastered. After winning nine major championship titles, Ben Hogan got retired from golf. He is at No. 5 in our list of top 10 best golfers of all time. 4. ARNOLD PALMER ARNOLD PALMER ; image credit en.wikipedia.org Arnold Palmer was an unchallengeable golfer who was known to his fans as “The king”. Palmer made huge in sports served to change the perception of golf being an elite class game. Like another golf legend Jack Nicklaus, he has helped a lot in popularizing and commercializing golf worldwide. Arnold Palmer won seven major championships in golf which includes four Masters Titles. He was awarded the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998, although he never won a single PGA championship in his career. He also marked his name in World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. He is at No. 4 spot in our list of top 10 best golfers of all time. 3.

WALTER HAGEN WALTER HAGEN ; image credit en.wikipedia.org Walter Hagen is a native New Yorker and one of the most influential golfers in the world. He won 11 major championships during his glorious golf career and was hailed as a national hero by becoming the first American golfer ever to win a British Open. Hagen didn’t stop there and went on to win three more Open titles in his golf career. Walter Hagen came from a working class family and started out as a caddy before entering the golf course as a pro-golfer. At the time, pro-golfers were looked down upon him. He was refused entry to the clubhouse at the Open Championship in 1920. Water Hagen eventually contributed to overcome the class division in golf. We have considered him to be at No. 3 in our list of top 10 best golfers of all time. 2.

TIGER WOODS TIGER WOODS ; image credit tunagolf.wordpress.com It seems quite unbelievable for sport like golf (hardly popular in Asia) to bring in a lot of money in the bank, but the perception is changed if we see Tiger Woods who has been one of the highest paid athlete in the world for several years. Tiger Woods is a legendary golfer who broke a number of golf records. He held the No. 1 ranking longer than any other golfer in the history. Tiger Woods was awarded the ‘PGA Player of the Year’ for a record 11 times and also honored with the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring that averages a record 8 times. Woods has won a total of 14 professional major golf championships and 79 PGA Tour events in his splendid golf career. He has won more career PGA Tours and more career majors than any other active golfer in recent days. He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam title which he attained a record three times. He is the only golfer to win both the Silver Medal and The Gold Medal at the Open Championship of golf. Many may disagree, but Tiger Woods is at No.

2 in our list of top 10 best golfers of all time. 1. JACK NICKLAUS Jack Nicklaus ; image credit Here it is, the No. 1 in our best golfers of all-time list is Jack Nicklaus. He was nicknamed as ‘The Golden Bear’. Jack is indeed the best golfers of all time in golf history. Let’s take a look at his incredible records. In his career, he has a record 73 victories which include 18 major championships and 6 Masters. His glorious career spanned over 23 years and he made himself as the most accomplished golfer ever. Nick has completed the career Grand Slam a record 4 times. How incredible it is! Off-the-course Nicklaus is also known for his charitable work. He also authored several books based on golf. Finally, he is man we are look for, the best of all, the greatest golfer in the history. Top 25 Golfers of All-Time (Ranking the Men) By Brent Kelley Updated January 11, 2017. Who are the best golfer in the history of the game? Here is our ranking of the Top 25 male golfers of all-time.

You know what they say about opinions: Everybody has one. These are ours. Related: Top 50 women golfers of all-time 1. Tiger Woods Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer of all-time. No, he hasn't yet eclipsed Jack Nicklaus ' record for most major victories, and it's looking like he never will. Nicklaus won 18 majors, Woods has 14. Many people believe Woods can't be called the greatest ever until or unless he beats Jack's record. I am not one of them, obviously, because in ranking golfers we can't consider only one number. If the greatest-ever is determined simply by number of majors won, then why bother with Top 10 or Top 25 or Top 100 lists? Just list the golfers in order of majors won and call it a day. But nobody does that, because other factors matter. We have to examine the totality of the record, both the golfers' career accomplishments, their best individual seasons, their best individual tournaments. continue reading below our video Profile of Jack Nicklaus And Woods beats Nicklaus on most other counts.

Woods won more money titles, more scoring titles, more Player of the Year awards - more than Nicklaus, more than anyone else. Woods has more total PGA Tour wins than Nicklaus. Woods has more seasons with five or more wins than anyone else, and his best seasons are better than Nicklaus' best seasons. Most of Nicklaus' greatest contemporaries - Palmer, Watson, Trevino, Miller - have said that Woods' best was better than Nicklaus' best. (Although some of them, as they got older and grumpier, walked it back.) Even Jack has tacitly acknowledged this. ( Tom Watson told a story of watching a golf tournament on TV at Nicklaus' house and seeing Woods do something spectacular. Watson said to Nicklaus, "Bear, he's the best, isn't he?" "Yeah," Nicklaus replied, according to Watson, "he's the best.") The numbers are very important in ranking golfers, obviously, but they have to be viewed in context.

The height of Woods' accomplishments - both in terms of numbers of wins per year, in the way he dominated tournaments, in the way he dominated individual majors, in the multitude of monster seasons he's had, and the huge totals he's piled up in wins and majors - make him, in my opinion (and you know what they say about opinions), not just the best-ever, but easily the No. 1 on this list. That's because Woods not only has the crazy big numbers, but he accomplished his many feats in the deepest, most-talented era in golf history. 2. Jack Nicklaus Nicklaus did not dominate his contemporaries quite like Tiger dominates his, but what stands out about the Golden Bear is just how consistently great he was. Everyone knows Nicklaus won the most majors (18), but he also finished second in 19 other majors. The breadth and depth of Nicklaus' career matches, and arguably (for the time being) exceeds those of Woods', but Nicklaus' "peak value" falls short of Woods'. 3.

Ben Hogan Despite struggling for years on tour before breaking through, and despite having his career interrupted and cut short by a horrific auto accident, Ben Hogan still managed nine major championship victories and 62 career wins. At his best, he left his contemporaries in the dust. Without his career being curtailed by the car crash, Hogan might well be No. 1 on this list. But that's a what-if. 4. Bobby Jones How great was Bobby Jones ? It's not an easy question to answer. In his day, the four majors were the two Open championships - the British and U.S. - and the two Amateur championships - again, the British and the U.S. Jones won those four events 13 times and won all four of them - the Grand Slam - in 1930. And then retired at the age of 28. He went on to found The Masters. This much is certain: You can argue that Jones was the best-ever, as you can for each of the Top 4 on this list. But on our list he's No. 4, in part because his era - the 1920s - had much less depth compared to later eras. 5.

Arnold Palmer Arnold Palmer won 62 times on the PGA Tour , including seven major championships. He helped invigorate golf as sport and entertainment with his go-for-broke playing style, and helped revitalize the British Open simply by showing up to play that tournament. At his best, he was one of the best putters of all-time. There is a drop-off from No. 4 to No. 5 - the Top 4 are in a class by themselves. But Arnie tops the next level of golf greats. 6. Sam Snead For now - until or unless Woods passes him - Sam Snead holds the record for most career PGA Tour wins with 82. That includes seven wins in majors. Snead first won in 1936, and last won in 1965. When he was 62 years old he finished third in the PGA Championship ; when he was 67, he shot 67-66 in the final two rounds of the Quad Cities Open . 7. Tom Watson Watson is arguably the greatest links golfer ever, with five wins in the British Open.

But he was great all-around, surpassing Nicklaus in the late 1970s and winning several head-to-head battles with the Bear, most famously at the 1977 British Open . Watson had 39 PGA Tour wins, including eight majors. 8. Gary Player Gary Player won "only" 24 times on the PGA Tour, but that was in part because he traveled the world, playing as much off the PGA Tour as on it. He was the first truly globetrotting golf superstar. And nine of those 24 wins were majors. (Player had a surprisingly poor 3-10 record in PGA Tour playoffs, however.) He won well over 100 tournaments in other parts of the globe. 9. Byron Nelson The career numbers are great - 52 wins, including five majors. Byron Nelson was the first from among himself, Hogan and Snead to achieve greatness, but also the first to depart the scene, retiring young. But there was that incredible 1945 season - 18 wins, including 11 consecutive - that will never be matched. 10.

Phil Mickelson He's never had that one monster season, but Phil Mickelson just keeps piling up wins. After winning the 2013 British Open , he had victories in three of the four majors, five total wins in majors, and 42 wins on the PGA Tour. The Next 15 Greats PGA Champion Golf Course | Best Golf Courses in Florida The Champion Golf Course Home of the Honda Classic- One of the Best Golf Courses in Florida Originally designed by Tom and George Fazio for major tournament play, The Champion course at PGA National Resort & Spa was redesigned by Jack Nicklaus in 2014 and hosts the Honda Classic each spring on the PGA TOUR. Although The Champion has generous landing areas and spacious and accepting TifEagle greens, golfers are presented with course management challenges throughout the round. This South Florida golf resort course has five sets of tees to make the course more playable for golfers of all levels. A must-play on any avid golfer's list, The Champion features the Bear Trap , which spans three demanding holes designed by Jack Nicklaus – listen to the designer describe it in his own words .

Considered one of Florida's most notable golf challenges, on what is unquestionably one of the best golf courses in Florida, USA Today calls the Bear Trap “one of the toughest stretches in golf.” Last renovated: Fall 2014 (Celebration Bermuda grass, redesign of the par-4 14th hole leading up to the infamous Bear Trap with the addition of more water and bunkers, and the expansion of No. 1, No. 9, No. 15 and No. 17 to their original size) PGA TOUR’S TOUGHEST COURSE! PGA National Resort's Champion course, with it's demanding Bear Trap provided the toughest tournament test of golf during the 2013 PGA TOUR season according to Golf Digest. Read the full article here , or book a trip to find out if you have what it takes to conquer "The Champ". "The Champions layout at PGA National is 7,140 yards of venom, a king cobra of a course that rises without warning to strike down the world's best golfers. Snake charmers may have a better chance of taming it than the players at the Honda Classic." - Karen Crouse of the The New York Times, February 2014.

The Champion Greatest Ever: Golf: Top Ten Golfers of All Time | Bleacher Report Greatest Ever: Golf: Top Ten Golfers of All Time By Barney Corkhill , Senior Writer Jun 20, 2008 Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more stories 13.7K The fifth installment of my Greatest Ever series is here! In this series I will look at the greatest talents to grace various sports. This time I look at Golf, and countdown the top 10 golfers of all time. Enjoy! 10. Bobby Jones ( USA ) - The child prodigy may have only been an amateur player, but Jones could hold his own against most other golfers on this list. He is most famous for his "Grand Slam", where he won all four of the major golf tournaments of his era in a single calendar year. Jones won seven major championships overall, including four U.S Open and three Open Championship wins. 9. Tom Watson (USA) - At the age of 58, Watson still occasionally makes appearances at PGA events, looking to add to his 64 professional wins.

In addition, he won eight major championships, including U.S Open, two Masters, and five Open Championship triumphs. His rivalry with Jack Nicklaus brought out the best in him, with four of his major championships wins coming against the "Golden Bear". 8. Gene Sarazen (USA) - Sarazen is one of only five golfers to complete the Career Grand Slam, which consists of winning all the major tournaments in his career. A pioneer of the game, Sarazen is credited with inventing the modern sand wedge. He has seven major championship wins to his credit, including two U.S Opens, one Masters, three PGA Championships and one Open Championship. He recorded 41 professional wins, with 39 of them in PGA tour events, which is level with Tom Watson as the tenth best of all time. 7. Arnold Palmer (USA) - Nicknamed "The King", Palmer was another trailblazer for the sport of Golf, becoming one of the first stars of the sport's television age. Probably unlucky to be this low down, he surely would have added to his 94 professional wins and seven major championship wins had he not been in direct competition with the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.

His seven major championships included one U.S Open, two Open Championships and four Green Jackets as Masters winner. 6. Gary Player (RSA) - Another one of the five golfers to have completed a Career Grand Slam, the South African won nine major championships including U.S Open, three Masters, two PGA Championships and three Open Championships. He also has over 160 professional wins to his name, a remarkable tally considering the competition of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. 5. Walter Hagen (USA) - Only Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have won more major championships than Hagen, who has 11 to his name. Those 11 include two U.S Open titles, five PGA Championships titles and four Open Championships. Unfortunately, he never won a green jacket. 4. Sam Snead (USA) - He may only have seven major championships to his name, but no golfer has ever won more PGA Tour events (82) than Sam Snead. His career spanned over four decades, in which he battled with other greats including Ben Hogan. His seven major championships consist of three PGA Championships, one Open Championships and three Green Jackets. 3.

Ben Hogan (USA) - With the fourth most PGA Tour wins ever (64) and fourth most major championships wins of all time (9), Hogan is one of the five golfers to win a Career Grand Slam. His nine major championships consisted of four U.S Opens, two Masters, two PGA Championships and one Open Championships. He is a four times PGA Player of the Year and five time PGA Tour money winner. 2. Tiger Woods (USA) - Commercially, he is the David Beckham of Golf, ability-wise he is the Pele. The only reason he isn't topping this list is because his achievements don't yet match my No.1. Much like Federer in tennis, I have no doubt that Woods will become the greatest of all time. He has earned hundreds of millions of dollars through winnings and endorsements, and is predicted to become the first ever man to become a billionaire through sports. He has already broken numerous records, and has currently won the second most major championships of all-time (14) and third in the amount of PGA Tour wins ever (65). 1. Jack Nicklaus (USA) - The "Golden Bear" has won more major championships than any other person with 18.

These included four U.S Opens, five PGA Championships, three Open Championships and an impressive six green jackets, the best ever total. With 73 PGA Tour victories, only Sam Snead has won more, he became the first player to ever win all four major championships twice in his career.

Question: Which PGA golfer, considered one of the best of all times, was nicknamed "The Golden Bear"?
Answer: Jack Nicklaus